More than $3 per hour separates minimum wage and living wage for residents of Charlotte, North Carolina, creating an imbalance that becomes deeply apparent as children are added to the income equation.
The minimum wage for living in the state of North Carolina $7.25 hourly,
according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
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But the living wage in the state is calculated at $10.52 per hour for for one adult. Add one child and that number goes up to $21.63, while two children increases it to $25.83, according to
2015 data from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Required annual income, before taxes, MIT noted, is $21,907 per person, and with one child, it rises to $44,995.
Minimum wage marks the lowest pay or compensation an employee in a certain state or municipality can receive by law for performing a certain job. Living wage calculates what funds are needed for everyday needs, based on a number of factors including marriage, children, debt, cost-of-living, and expenses such as healthcare.
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A petition
created on Change.org two years ago sought to urge lawmakers to raise North Carolina's minimum wage to $10.25 hourly. Thus far, efforts have been unsuccessful.
In Charlotte, the per capita income is $31,653 while median household income,
according to Forbes, is $53,519. Median home price is $173,100.
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